Forever hold your peace
by Madi Dawson
Summary: Sophie returns to Hex Hall without going through the removal. After getting a new roommate and finding a surprise student, Sophie's ready to give up.  But something keeps her going.  Read to find out!  Archer/OC
1. Chapter 1

Walking back into Hex Hall, wasn't what I expected. It wasn't at all what I had wanted last year. Mom had talked me out of the Removal. I guess using my powers for good, was better. Even though I was a dark witch, no, a demon, I could pull it off. Also, I still had to come here because I was sentenced here a year ago until I turned eighteen.

Another thing I didn't expect, was seeing Archer Cross walk in before me. The one guy who had given me some of the worst trouble I had ever had to deal with. Archer saw me and grinned. No matter how much I had hated him, I couldn't help and admit how cute he looked in the Hecate issued uniforms.

Mom and I finished unpacking a few hours later and when she had to leave, I wasn't as emotional as last year. I actually couldn't wait for her to leave so I wouldn't hurt her. I knew it wouldn't be hard or easy, but I didn't want to take chances. Mom seemed mad at me that I kept trying to push her out my door.

Jenna was back and her things were already unpacked. What was weird, was the room had obviously been enlarged and the beds had changed into bunk beds, and another dresser, desk and bookshelf had been added I couldn't believe that we now had _three _people in our tiny room. They both had already unpacked and left, and I enjoyed the silence. I pulled off my Hecate blue blazer and fell on my bed. I was so tired and I fell asleep within five minutes.

I woke up to the sound of Ms. Casnoff telling everyone to go to dinner. I groggily walked over and grabbed my blazer and walked down the stairs. I tripped over people as I tried to figure out why we were all standing outside the dining hall. Suddenly, everyone hurried into the hall. I realized the random mismatched chairs and tables had been replaced with two long tables than ran down almost the entire room. Very Harry Potterish.

I sat down at one of the tables and Jenna turned around in front of me. "Sophie!" She hugged me and looked me up and down. "You've gotten prettier." She said, one eyebrow shot up as if she thought I had a secret. I _had _been using a beauty spell to make my freckles not so pronounced and I had grown out my hair, which was past my chest now.

"Well, thank you." I said in a mock british accent. "How've you been?"

"Really good, actually. The Council sent me back here, they don't want me 'running loose'. I don't mind. It's kinda nice." Now it was my turn for my eyebrows to shoot up. "I mean, it's better than being _not _here. It's a lot safer. Or at least, it's harder for me to get in trouble."

I wasn't ready to explain my story, how I didn't got through the removal. Thankfully, Jenna didn't say anything. I was about to say something when Archer slid into the bench across from me and a tall brunette sat in front of him. She was stunning. My curly, chest length hair now seemed ugly compared to her waist length, naturally highlighted hair.

"Thank you all for returning to Hecate Hall. We hope you had a wonderful break and refreshed for the upcoming semester." Ms. Casnoff's loud voice sounded like she was talking into a megaphone. "We have a few new students. And I hope you can welcome them all. Now, we can eat!"

Loud giggles and 'yum' circled the room. I dug into the vat of gooey macaroni and cheese. I piled fruit salad and scrambled eggs high. I sipped my fizzy punch, and it sent warm shocks down my body. Archer sat looking at the girl next to him. He leaned over and whispered something in her ear and she laughed.

"Sophie, did you go through the removal?" Jenna's voice was hushed and her eyes darted from Archer to me.

I groaned softly. "No, Jenna. I didn't. My mom talked me out of it. And I decided that I wasn't going to hurt people with my powers, I would help them."

"But you're a," Jenna lowered her voice to barely audible. "demon. You're not a white witch, Sophie."

"I know." I didn't want to discuss it with her right then and there.

"'kay." She went back to her food and I felt bad.

After dinner, Jenna followed me to our room. After painting her nails, we had to scramble to get ready for bed. When I came back, the girl who Archer was talking to, was sitting on the extra bed. Her black checked pants matched perfectly with her Hecate issued blue tank top. Her long hair hung around her like a veil. I was instantly jealous of how it was in loose, brown curls.

"Hey," I sat on my bed, trying not to hit my head on the top bunk. "Hi, I'm Alex." She smiled. "I'm one of the new kids."

I smiled back. "I'm Sophie. This is my second year."

"How old are you?" She was struggling to find something to talk about.

"Seventeen, you?"

"Seventeen. But I'll be eighteen in a month. I have to stay for both semesters though."

I nodded and suddenly the lights went out. I heard her climb under the covers. I copied her and quickly fell asleep.

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><p><em>I'm not super excited about the beginning. I've already edited it a dozen times and I'm working on it again. Please review so I know how to fix it! Thanks!<em>


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning I woke up and I saw Jenna out cold on her pillow. Alex was up reading a book with tons of pillows and a huge comforter piled around her. I was happy to see she didn't wake up looking perfect. I rolled over in bed and pulled my blankets off. Jenna stirred and blinked her eyes and rubbed her face.

"What time is it?" She mumbled and grabbed her pink glasses.

I checked the clock and groaned. "Seven." I grabbed my uniform and went to the bathroom. A very tired Jenna followed soon after.

I showered and blow dried my hair. I looked around and saw Jenna step out of a shower and Alex was doing her hair. I quickly snapped my fingers and my hair flattened and sat in ringlets. Alex was busy applying her makeup and I was finally ready to go down to breakfast. Jenna was still tired when we entered the dinning hall. I turned and Archer grab Alex's wrist and pull her over into the corner. I saw them seem to be fighting but I quickly looked away when I saw them kissing.

I walked to my first class and found I was a few minutes early and Archer was in it. He smiled at me. "Sophie," He rolled my name over his tongue. "Sophie, Sophia, how's it been?"

"Fine," I mumbled. I didn't want to talk to him. He was an Eye. The thought of his tattoo still burned in my mind and my hand.

Archer seemed offended. "I missed you, I wish you had written."

"No. I'm not going to fall for you, again. Until you've proven you're" I thought for a minute. "Different. I don't want to talk to you if you're still an Eye." I had started whispering so no one could hear me.

"Do you want me to take my shirt off and let you touch me?" He obviously didn't seem like it was a bad idea.

"No, I think Alex has that department covered."

Archer sighed. "Listen, it's not what you think. It's not a choice."

"So it's not a choice to kiss her?" I threw a little too much sarcasm into my words. "Or is it something she makes you do?"

"Sophie, it's not" He was interrupted by our teacher who sat down and slammed open a book and we both looked forward and I turned my attention to the teacher.

The rest of the day went by like normal. I only had a couple classes with Archer and Alex. Lunch seemed shorter and I was exhausted by the time I sat down for dinner. I groaned when Alex and Archer sat down across from me. Not again.

"Sophie," Archer leaned across the table. "Sophie, listen. Alex and I aren't what you think."

"Really? Because I think she's just using you." I didn't really think that.

"Why would you think that?" He was angry and he sat back up straight. Man, was he hot. I looked at the head of the room and saw Ms. Casnoff ready to give her speech.

"I hope you all had a wonderful day. And I hope you have a better one tomorrow. So please, enjoy!" We all started to load our plates with food. Jenna quickly engrossed herself in our conversation.

"So what were you and Archer talking about?" I nudged her with my elbow, but I dropped my arm when I saw him concentrating on his food.

I told her the whole story. "He's messing around with Alex. I know that's all it is. But apparently, it's not what I think."

"Hmm, at least they're not engaged." Jenna stuffed more chicken in her mouth.

I wrinkled my eyebrows. "But what if they are?"

Jenna shook her head. "It's not possible. He was engaged to Holly."

"But still," I broke off and decided to eat. Then, while we were eating the best chocolate cake I'd ever eaten, Ms. Casnoff stood up.

"Ladies and gentleman. I have a very special announcement. We will be having the head of the council come and inspect Hecate Hall. He will be coming next week, so I hope you're ready. Please, be on your best behavior." Archer smirked at that. "Also, if you are over the age of sixteen, you may request who you are engaged to. If you want to change it, please do so when he is here. It's more convenient." At the last part, Alex smiled and looked back at Archer. I couldn't read in to it anymore, it was driving me nuts.

"Jenna, why do you have to be sixteen to request it if you can know before?" I was utterly confused.

Jenna swallowed her food. "Because, they don't want you to freak out before. Your parents can tell you or whatever, but you can't request a change or ask to know from the Council until you're sixteen."

"Weird," I mumbled.

After dinner we went upstairs. As soon as I had on my pajamas and sat on my bed, I fell asleep. I heard Jenna fall asleep and Alex was tossing and turning all night.

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><p><em>This chapter is shorter, but like the last chapter, I'm still editing like crazy. I just wanted to get it up here so you all can review it and help me make it better. Reviews are wanted and appreciated!<em>


	3. Chapter 3

I wasn't sure what hit me first. Archer's elbow in my rib or the fact that I had his lips inches from mine. Our PE teacher was more than satisfied to see me in pain. Archer grinned at me I laid there awkwardly, until he reached his hand out and pulled me up. Alex stood glaring at me. I was oddly happy by it and but that feeling disappeared when Archer wrapped his arms around her thin waist.

I cringed as I watched everybody else go and get beat up by each other. I didn't pay much attention to them and my eyes kept trailing back to Alex and Archer. Something wasn't right between the two of them. It almost seemed like it was all fake. Even though he acted like he loved her, I wasn't sure. He pretended to love Elodie, though we all knew he never did. I was still wary about trusting him. I could trust Alex, to some extent.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." Alex yelled over to me when we were leaving. She must've caught me staring. I walked back to the main building, my legs aching with every stride up the hill. I sure hadn't stayed in shape over the summer.

I was exhausted when I finally sat down at dinner. Who knew that sitting through four hours of boring classes could make you so hungry and tired? I loaded up my plate and started to eat hungrily. I never felt so hungry before in my life.

Alex and Archer sat across from me and Jenna, again. I was getting annoyed by them constantly sitting across from us. Alex pursed her lips when she saw my shoveling food in my mouth. I slowed down and took smaller bites.

"So, what trouble did you get yourself into over the summer?" Archer asked me.

I shrugged. "Nothing too exciting. What'd you do?"

"Went back home, met Alex, and did a ton of homework." Jenna laughed at his description of the summer.

"Yeah, they gave me so much homework over the summer, too." Jenna agreed and sipped her water.

I smiled. "I got mine done pretty fast, mostly because I had nothing to do."

Archer grinned. "Well, Mercer, you should've called and we could've met you somewhere." Alex bit her lip, probably trying not to protest Archer's idea.

"Maybe next summer." I said happily and took a bite of garlic bread. I watched as Alex picked at her mashed potatoes and pushed them around. "Hungry, much?" I said sarcastically, eating my potatoes.

Alex glared at me. "I would watch your back if I were you." Archer looked over at her.

"Well, if you were me, you might actually be pretty cool." I shot back.

Archer tilted his head and raised his eyebrows at me. Alex huffed and dropped her fork on her plate. Archer put his hand on her waist.

"She's kidding, Alex. Calm down." He sounded only half sarcastic. Alex looked at him and leaned over to whisper something to him. He nodded and kissed her cheek.

Jenna glanced over at me and shook her head. I smirked. "So, what classes do you have tomorrow?"

"Mythology, and then our massive PE test." Archer said and Alex and Jenna nodded in agreement.

I frowned. "Wait what test?"

Jenna looked at me. "We've been in school for a month, Sophie. That means the PE test."

"There wasn't one last year." I said, still confused.

Alex quickly explained. "After the first month of school in your last year, you have to take the PE test. The test is almost the entire afternoon and it's really tough and people have actually died."

Archer shook his head. "No, they haven't." Alex and Jenna nodded. "No, Alex, they haven't. The Vandy isn't _that _bad."

Jenna shrugged. "She does look like she'll kill someone every few minutes."

"How does the test work?" I asked.

Archer explained. "It's not that hard. All you have to do is partner up with someone and do whatever she tells you. It's kinda scary, especially because she tends to make everyone pair up with someone bigger than them. But it's not too bad, just don't forget what all the moves are or you're toast."

I nodded, storing up all the information in my head. "Thanks," I said and finished my dinner.

After dinner we all headed up the stairs. I watched as Archer and Alex stopped on the second floor. Archer was saying something that made her upset. Jenna and I watched quietly, hoping they couldn't see us. Alex tried to walk away and Archer caught her by her waist and pulled her back. She shook her head at something then Archer must've said something right because she ran her fingers through his dark hair and he kissed her. I wanted to look away while they kissed, but I couldn't. It was like I wanted to prove to myself that I was stupid for falling for him.

Jenna and I turned and hurried up to our room when Alex finally broke away from Archer and walked up the stairs. We jumped on Jenna's bed and sat there talking when Alex walked in.

"Enjoy the show?" Alex asked as she sat down on her bed.

Jenna and I looked over at her. "What show?" I asked, acting like I didn't have a clue.

"Don't act stupid, Sophie." Alex rolled her eyes. "Look, I know you had a thing for Archer last year, but he's with me now. You need to accept that and move on."

I pretended to think for a minute. "Actually, _we _had a thing." Alex's eyebrows knitted together and she looked confused. "Oh, I'm guessing he didn't tell you about the cellar?"

Alex shrugged. "How do I know you're not making all of it up?"

"Fine," I smiled. "ask Archer to show you exactly what he did in that cellar. Then you come tell me there weren't any feelings."

Alex glared at me. "Leave me alone, Sophie." She stood up and grabbed her pajamas and walked out of the room.

"Wow, Sophie." Jenna shook her head in dismay.

I frowned. "What?"

"That was really harsh." Jenna said, playing with her pink comforter. "She's had a lot of crap from everyone already because she's with Archer and she didn't need that."

"She thinks because she's with him she can walk all over everyone and that she's better than everyone." I said.

Jenna sighed. "I think you need to lay off and just let her mess up her own life. It's not our business. But you did put up a pretty good argument." Jenna grinned.

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><p>Jenna and I trudged to breakfast, our eyes still drooping from the lack of sleep we got last night when we stayed up studying for the PE test. Thankfully, breakfast was an hour later today because of the test. We were so out of it that we didn't even think when we sat down across from Archer and Alex, both of whom looked just as equally tired.<p>

I slowly scooped some oatmeal onto my plate and Jenna passed me a piece of toast. I grabbed some bacon and carefully poured orange juice. We all ate in silence, there was barely any talking in the room because of the sleep everyone missed.

Alex was actually eating, probably trying to regain any strength she lost last night from studying. Archer kept giving her more food, and if I wasn't so tired I would've made a joke about him trying to fatten her up but I couldn't even force the words out of my mouth.

Jenna and I had mythology class that morning, but we had it with Archer and Alex. For some reason, that was the only class they had for any of the witches and warlocks, so we all ended up crammed into a small class room. I was so close to Archer, I could feel his breath on my arm.

The class seemed much longer than normal and we ended right before lunch. Alex, Jenna, and I slowly heaved our bodies up the stairs into our room and managed to change out of our skirts and blazers into our blue t-shirts and yoga-ish pants. I slipped on my track shoes and laced them up. Alex was trying to pull her long, curly hair into a ponytail. I copied her and hoped secretly my ears didn't stick out.

The three of us walked back down the stairs, meeting up with Archer on the way. The way his shirt stretched across his toned chest still gave me goosebumps and made my ears burn. Throughout lunch, I tried my hardest not to stare at him but I must've failed because after lunch he walked next to me and was being sarcastic like we used to before I discovered he was an eye.

"Did you miss me over the summer, Mercer? You look like you haven't seen boys in a while." He said and laughed at his own joke.

I shrugged. "I saw plenty of guys."

"Really?" He said sarcastically and I nodded. "Just thought I'd let you know, but Alex is pretty upset by how you were looking at me."

I turned red. "I wasn't looking at you!" My lie was so bad that I had to recall how bad of a liar I was.

Archer laughed. "You're right, you weren't looking at me. You were drooling."

I turned more red, I was surprised I hadn't caught on fire yet. "Was not." I muttered.

"Sure," He said and I heard someone come up next to him.

I frowned when Alex walked next to Archer, her finger intertwined with his. I wanted to puke and go hide under my covers in bed. But I forced myself to keep walking and not chuck up everything I had just eaten.

The Vandy separated us up by boys and girls, we stood against different walls facing each other. I stood in-between Alex and Jenna. The Vandy was marking us off, taking attendance and sizing us up.

Alex stood a few inches taller than me and I never realized how beautiful she really was. Her long legs were thin and toned, her stomach flat, and her arms matched her lanky legs. Her blue eyes were framed by thick dark eyelashes and they stood out against her tanned skin and dark hair. Side-swept bangs framed her strong jaw. I had been jealous of her since the moment I met her but for some reason, today I was really upset with how perfect she seemed. I made it my goal for the day to find something wrong with her.

The Vandy was pulling boys forward who were tall, muscular, and strongly built. I watched in horror as Archer was pulled. She then started calling forward girls.

"Opal, Alexandra." Alex stepped forward, smiling at Archer. "Mercer, Sophia." I stepped next to Alex, much in her dismay. The Vandy kept calling girls forward and Jenna looked thrilled that she wasn't called.

"I'm going to be grading you on how well you can attack." She smiled coyly. "Cross, Archer." He stepped next to her. "Mercer, Sophia." I shook slightly when I stepped closer to The Vandy. "Mr. Cross, please preform move fifteen."

I braced myself for his musclar body to be slammed into me. I don't even remember what he did, but I remember feeling his knee in my gut. He pulled me up from the mat and smiled at me, but his smile seemed apologetic.

"Mr. Cross, please preform move eight." Archer groaned and I braced myself again, this time I flew into the crowd of girls and they kept me from falling over.

"Very good." She smiled and wrote something down on her clipboard. "Now I'll be grading you on your attacks with someone who's attacking you." She scanned the group of girls who she had called forward. "Opal, Alexandra."

Alex took my spot and Archer grinned at her. The Vandy must've known they were together because she immediately made Archer preform one of the worst attacks.

"Miss Opal, please preform move seven while Mr. Cross will preform move thirteen." Archer shook his head, and Alex's body was shaking in fear. "Mr. Cross, move thirteen. _Now_."

"No, that could kill her." Archer said, his right eyebrow raised.

The Vandy smiled. "That's a risk I'm willing to take."

Archer shook his head again. "It's not a risk _I'm _willing to take."

"Mr. Cross, would you care to explain to the whole class why you won't preform move thirteen on Miss Opal?" The Vandy snickered.

"I won't preform it because I'm not going to risk her life. It doesn't matter what our relationship is. I won't preform it." Archer repeated.

The Vandy smiled and motioned over to me. "Will you preform move thirteen on Miss Mercer?" Archer shook his head. "Mr. Cross, preform move thirteen on Miss Opal or Miss Mercer, or you will receive a failing grade in this class."

Archer looked over at Alex. He pulled her to him and whispered in her ear. "I can't do this."

Alex shook her head. "I'm attacking you anyways so I can't get hurt."

"I'm not hurting you, Alex." Archer pleaded.

Alex smiled. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"I could kill you." Archer said, his eyebrows knotted. "I'm not risking it.

Alex stepped back. "I'm doing it, wanna be a coward and not fight a girl?" She said loudly and Archer smiled realizing she was saying that just so he'd have fight her or else risk looking un-manly infront of his entire class.

"Any day now, Mr. Cross." The Vandy said, stepping back.

Archer and Alex stepped back, both of them counting in their heads. I cringed when they both attacked each other. Archer's hand under her chin as if to snap her neck and her knee in his stomach. I watched as he twisted her arm back and slammed his elbow hard into her ribs. She let out a scream when he landed on top of her, his knee in between her rib cage. Archer quickly slid off of her and sat next to her, trying to see if she was okay.

The Vandy rushed over to Alex, who wasn't moving. Alex look sickly pale and I watched as Archer slipped his arm under her knees and head, picking her up. The Vandy held the door for him as he carried her to Cal's cabin.

"Alright, let's finish the exam so you can go to dinner."

The rest of the exam went awfully. I had countless bruises, the obstacle course had me covered in mud, and she had dropped us into the lake hoping we could get back out. I was exempt from that because the last time she tried that, the lake trapped me because I was a demon.

Archer missed the rest of the exam and I headed down to Cal's before dinner to see if Alex was okay. I knocked on the door and Cal opened it.

"Hi, Sophie." He said and held the door open for me to walk in. "What happened to you?"

"Obstacle course." I said and he nodded, apparently he knew what that meant.

I searched the small cabin for Alex and saw her laying on Cal's bed, her long hair was loose again and it flowed around her. For someone in such bad condition, she was still stunning. I looked down and saw her shirt was off and she was covered in bruises and I could see where Archer's knee had been because now it had been replaced with a deep purple and black bruise that had spread across her ribs.

"Was it really _that _bad?" I asked Cal who was standing next to me.

He nodded. "Archer's not a small person. I still can't believe she would make him preform move thirteen. That's reserved for the more dire of situations due to it's destructive manners."

I shook my head at how sick and twisted the whole thing had been. Archer saw me and stood up, moving away from Alex's side. She stirred when he left but stayed out. "Hey, Mercer." He said.

"I'm really sorry, Archer." I said.

Archer looked at me. "It's not your fault, I should've just taken the F. I really hurt her."

"What did you do?" I asked.

Archer looked at Cal who answered. "Broke two ribs, bruised at least three more, and gave her that nasty thing." He motioned to the black and purple bruise.

"Ouch," I said, looking at Alex's bandaged ribs. "Can you heal her ribs?"

"I can, but she's still going to have those bruises." Cal said.

Alex moved, her blue eyes blinked back into focus and she searched the room. Alex tried to sit up but fell back down with the sharp pain that was in her side. Archer and Cal rushed over to her, both of them concerned for how badly she could hurt herself by just moving.

I realized I needed to get back to the school so I could eat dinner. "I have to get back, I hope Alex is okay." I said and I heard Cal tell me that the door was unlocked.

I rushed back to the school and hurried into the dinning hall, and took my seat next to Jenna.

"Where were you?" Jenna asked, her mouth full of food.

I dumped some soup into my bowl and grabbed a handful of crackers. "I went to go see Alex. She's really beat up."

"How bad?" Jenna asked.

"Broke two ribs, bruised some more, I think he knocked her out too. And she's got this really big purple and black bruise on her ribs from where Archer kneed her. It's pretty nasty looking."

Jenna shook her head. "Mrs. Casnoff had to talk to The Vandy afterwards and someone said Mrs. Casnoff might try to get the council to ban move thirteen from the school."

My eyes widened. "Wow," I said in awe as I scooped up some soup and poured it in my mouth. The warmth rose from my toes and I felt warm again. The air outside had been cold when I was walking back to the castle from seeing Alex.

That night, Alex didn't come back but we did see Archer walk past the dining hall on our way up to our room. I ran to catch up with him.

"Cross!" I yelled and he turned around. "Hey," I said, breathless.

"What do you want, Mercer?" He asked, his voice sounded tired and defeated.

I smiled weakly. "I just wanted to let you know I'm really sorry that you had to do that."

Archer looked down. "I should've just said no and left. Alex means the world to me and I hurt her because I was too vain to take a F."

"We make mistakes." I said, I still wasn't sure how to comfort him because he just sounded like he would keep on beating himself up about it.

Archer shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

"Is she coming back tomorrow?" I asked.

Archer nodded. "That's what Cal said. He said it's not too difficult to fix but she's going to be really sore."

"Yeah, I'd bet." I said.

Archer smiled. "I've got to go, tons of homework."

I nodded. "Me too."

"See you later, Mercer." He said, smiled his oh-so-cute smile and walked away. I watched him leave then walked up to my room.

I plopped down on Jenna's bed next to her. She put her book down and looked over at me. I stared at the ceiling as I spoke. "I am hopelessly in love with Archer Cross." She rolled her eyes. "Again."

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><p><em>I'm finally updating. I apologize for the long wait, I've been so busy with life and school. I really hope to start updating my stories again at a more regular, consistant schedule but I know that will be a little difficult. Anyways, please review and let me know how I'm doing. I love hearing from you. :)<em>


	4. Chapter 4

_I am really sorry I haven't updated in so long but I'm back! I really appreciate all of your faves and reviews! They all mean so much to me! This is kind of a rough draft but I'm working on the next chapter!(:_

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><p>The next morning I woke up with a headache and every single inch of my body felt like it was bruised. Over the summer I must've forgotten over the summer how bad PE was. Jenna was already up and she had left for the bathroom. I forced my body out of my bed and walked to the bathroom.<p>

Jenna was standing in front of a mirror, surrounded by ten other girls all crammed next to each other trying to use the mirrors. I poked her in the ribs as I walked to the showers. Thank God I packed flip flops; the showers were just as grimy and gross as last year.

I dried my hair and stared at my reflection, hoping my hair would deflate soon. Jenna and I walked down to breakfast, both of us feeling defeated and sore from yesterday's PE test. Archer sat across from us, again. I noticed Alex still wasn't there but I didn't say anything.

"When are you retaking the test?" I asked Archer.

Archer looked up at me. "Test?"

I nodded. "The PE test. You left after the first ten minutes."

"Oh, The Vandy is making me retake it before lunch." Archer said and took a bite of his eggs.

"Cool." I said blandly and went back to eating.

Jenna looked over at the table where the teacher's were. I followed her stare and saw my dad at the end of it. I choked on my juice and Jenna slapped my back.

"What's he doing here?" I asked, wiping my mouth.

"He's here for the arranged marriage crap." Archer answered for Jenna and I look to Jenna who nodded in agreement.

I frowned. "I forgot that was today." I said honestly. "Wanna go with me before lunch to see what freak I'm engaged to?"

Jenna nodded and grinned. "Duh!" She laughed.

I looked over at Archer who was looking down and tapping his fingers on the table. "What's got you so freaked out?" I asked.

"Nothing," He muttered.

I spent most of the morning thinking about Archer, nothing new. He had acted so weird at breakfast and I was trying to figure out what it meant. Jenna and I walked over to the library before lunch, where we were told my dad would be. Sure enough, there he was. I swallowed hard before walking over.

"Hi," I said, not sure exactly how I should greet him.

My dad looked up. "Sophia, how are you?"

"Good," I said and I smiled. "I'm here to see who I'm engaged to."

He nodded then pulled out a thick book from under the pile of papers on the desk he was working on. "Mercer, Mercer, Mercer." He repeated as he ran his finger down the page. "Sophia Mercer," I felt sick. I didn't even hear the last few words out of my fathers lips but I knew exactly who it was.

Cal.

Of all people in this world, I was engaged to the groundskeeper. Jenna watched as I slowly turned whiter and whiter.

"I think we'll be going now." Jenna said and she tried to push me out the door.

I stopped and turned back. "Can you look up Archer Cross?" I asked.

My dad shook his head. "I can't do that Sophie."

"Please? I'm your daughter. Besides, if what he told us is true he should be engaged to Holly."

My dad sighed then flipped back to the beginning of the book. After a few minutes he looked up at me and Jenna, who stood anxiously awaiting the answer to my question. "Archer Cross, Alexandra Lance."

I frowned. That didn't make any sense. Archer was betrothed to Holly, right? That's what everyone thought. That's what he had told me. But what if he lied? I didn't see how lying would help anything.

"Wait a minute." My dad said and he scanned the page again. "Mr. Cross had changed who he was betrothed to four years ago. Then he asked to switch back. My, he's one confusing boy."

I frowned again, this time so did Jenna. "That doesn't make any sense, he was engaged to Holly from day one." Jenna whispered to me but my dad heard anyways.

"It says here Miss Lance hadn't changed who she was engaged to so she was his original fiance. Four years ago he changed who he was betrothed to, to Holly. She was killed a few years ago, and Archer recently asked to be engaged to Alexandra Lance again." My dad said, still reading the paper.

"Why didn't Alex ask to change hers when Archer changed?" I asked, still pale from hearing my fate.

My dad shrugged. "She could've waited as long as she pleased."

"Huh…" Jenna thought to herself. I felt light headed and wanted to go sit down.

My dad looked at Jenna. "Can you take her to lunch? She's not look too good." Jenna nodded and grabbed my arm, dragging me from the room.

If I hadn't been feeling so sick, I would've stormed down to Cal's and asked him if he knew he was engaged to me. I wasn't sure though what I should do because at the same time I wanted to ask Archer why he lied to me about being engaged to Holly. Though he was, he still kinda lied. Kinda.

I didn't remember walking into the dining hall or when Jenna forced me into my seat. I finally snapped back to reality when she put a sandwich on my plate and filled my glass with fruit punch.

We ate in silence, I was too scared that if I tried to talk I'd start yelling and Jenna looked prepared for me to have a meltdown. I watched as Archer came and sat down across from us, Alex's long body slid in next to his. She looked just as beat up as yesterday and her breathing was labored, but she didn't look as pale.

Jenna watched me silently, and I could tell she was waiting for me to open my mouth and start drilling Archer about his love life. Though that's what I wanted to do, I wasn't sure if it was the right time. Actually, I knew it wasn't the right time but I still wanted to ask him a hundred questions.

"So, Archer." I started. "When did you meet Alex?" I asked the innocent question but Jenna's large, round eyes were telling me to shut up.

Archer shrugged. "I don't remember." Alex looked at him then looked down at her empty plate.

"You don't remember when you met your girlfriend? Well, I'm sure she feels quite special." I said sarcastically. "Do you remember when you met Holly?"

Archer's dark eyes pierced mine and they suddenly went cold. Alex looked confused but she gripped Archer's arm as if he was about to hurt me. "Why do you care, Mercer?"

I shrugged. "I'm just curious. Oh, and since Holly died," Archer grew tenser. "I guess that means you can change who you're betrothed to, right?"

Archer nodded. "Yeah, so?"

I looked at Jenna. "Never mind, I forgot you already did that." Archer's eye brows knotted together and he frowned. "Twice."

Alex looked at him, her large blue eyes were confused. "What is she talking about, Archer?"

"Nothing." He looked at me, now Jenna and Archer were telling me to shut up with their eyes.

Alex looked straight at me. "What are you talking about?"

"Archer didn't tell you?" I asked and Alex didn't answer. "If I were you, Alex, I'd go see who you're engaged to."

Alex frowned. "I don't know what you're up to, but I would be very careful, Sophie."

I smiled. "I'm not up to anything. Promise." I raised my right hand. Alex rolled her eyes.

The rest of the day went by almost as badly as yesterday. My classes were boring, except that Jenna was in them and she made them entertaining. Though, we got yelled at multiple times to shut up. Lord Byron gave us extra homework for interrupting his long rant about how depressing his life was with our giggling.

We walked up the stairs and entered our room, only to fall on our beds exhausted.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take, Sophie." Jenna said.

I looked over at her. "What do you mean?"

"All of the mystery, and the not knowing." She sighed. "I wish Archer didn't come back. He really does make this school more complicated."

I nodded. "Yeah, but he's pretty fun to look at." Jenna laughed. "Besides, what's the mystery?"

"We don't know if he's part of L'Occhio di Dio or not." Jenna whispered.

I shrugged. "I don't think Mrs. Casnoff would let him back in if he was still an eye."

We stopped talking when Alex entered the room. Her face was tear stained and she brushed her hair out of her face.

"What happened?" Jenna asked, her voice was filled with compassion.

Alex closed her eyes and exhaled. "Archer lied to me."

"About what?" Jenna asked again.

Alex looked over at her, wiping the tears off her face. "He said he wasn't engaged to me. I never knew who I was engaged to because my parents had never told me."

Jenna nodded, trying to understand. "Why is this making you cry?" I frowned at her when she started to sound like a therapist.

Alex sighed again. "Archer told me that he had always been Holly's fiance, right? But he wasn't. Up until four years ago he was mine." Jenna and I both looked down because we felt guilty that we begged my dad to tell us everything. "He said he didn't know he was engaged to me but he did know. I know why he wanted to marry Holly but at the same time I wish he had just told me who she was. It's crazy, I just learned who she was a few minutes ago." Alex started crying harder.

Jenna's eye grew large. "You knew what he was?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah, he was an eye. I knew that. But he's not anymore." I raised my eyebrows and Alex saw me out of the corner of her eye. "He's not, Sophie. I know for a fact he isn't."

Jenna looked upset. "I don't understand why he would do that to you."

Alex shrugged. "I don't either. He said he loves me and he's not going to hurt me but then he lied to me."

"I'm confused, what is going on?" I asked, so confused by the whole conversation.

Alex explained. "I went down to see who I was engaged to and I found out it was Archer. Then I asked the head of the council who Archer was engaged to. After I argued with him, he told me. Archer was engaged to me and then he asked to be engaged to Holly. That was four years ago. Last year he asked to change back to me. Archer told me he didn't know that he was engaged to me but he had to know if he wanted to change to Holly because otherwise he wouldn't know if he already was engaged to her." Alex took a deep breath.

"So why are you upset?" I asked, still confused. Why did this kid have to be such a big piece of mystery?

Alex rolled her eyes. "Because Archer lied to me. He said he had been engaged to 'a girl' his whole life and this week he was going to ask if he could be engaged to me." I bit my lip, upset that Archer wasn't interested in me. I guess things do change over the summer. "I didn't even know who Holly was. When you mentioned her at dinner I saw him get all tense. Before today I knew he had been an eye and I knew he killed a girl."

"Attempted to kill two."

"Almost three."

Alex sighed at our comments. "Anyways, I didn't know about Holly and that he was engaged to her."

"Huh, it's like a real life drama movie." I said and Jenna chuckled.

Alex laid back on her pillows. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

Jenna shook her head. "I think Archer was doing something under the influence of being and eye. He didn't do it to hurt you. If I were you, I would just forgive him for what he messed up then move on. I mean, he is engaged to you again."

Alex nodded. "Thanks, Jenna." Jenna nodded and gave the thin, lanky girl a hug.

"Lights off in ten minutes." Mrs. Casnoff's voice traveled around the school.

The three of us scrambled to get ready for bed in the limited amount of time we had left. Jenna had crawled into bed first while Alex and I were still brushing our teeth. Alex had her hand around the doorknob for our room when we heard a loud 'click' and the school went black. We tripped and fumbled into our beds, and I fell asleep almost instantly.

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><p><em>Please let me know what you think! Again, I am SO sorry that I haven't updated in like a year, I had some serious stuff go on and I was barely on the internet at all. Thanks so much for the reviews I love y'all so much!(:<em>


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